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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
Write a story with these words: "teddy bear," "black," "blood."
You find a treasure map.
Overheard at the track-and-field: "I! NEVER! WANT! TO! SEE! THAT! DOG! POKING! HIS! HEAD! IN! HERE! AGAIN!"
Write a story that inverts the trope of the Chosen One.
You find your grandparent's old chessboard in the attic. Absentmindedly, you move a piece. The next day, an opposing piece has been moved.
Write a story about the all-out war among the PTA moms to snatch up the last Spider-Man costume in the costume shop.
You were put in charge of getting your great-grandmother a gift this year by your family — but she's old enough that she's already seen, heard, and experienced everything under the sun. What do you get her?
Write about a time when you tried something unfamiliar.
Many action movies involve the hero jumping into a vehicle and demanding the driver to "follow that car!" Write from the perspective of the driver.
Write about a family with secrets that get stuck in a corn maze overnight. One by one, all of the secrets come out in the course of the night.
Write a story about the unlikely friendship that starts up between a young character and the eccentric old lady next door.
"He's been dead for ten years," said the little old lady, looking at you with concern.
Write a story about an ongoing rivalry between a vampire and a werewolf for supremacy over Halloween.
Write a story from the perspective of a snowman who has just come to life. Plot twist: he's missing eyes.
Write about a time that you broke the rules.
You discover a secret family member you never knew existed.
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